영문초록
A question whether theology has self-contained and permanent principles independently from cultural changes haunts contemporary theologians. Kathryn Tanner, one of the leading postmodern feminist theologians, insists in her comprehensive works that theology is part of culture and remains in itself a cultural activity. It is because Christian social activities are created out of diverse and controversial social contexts and they become a seedbed for theological diversity and creativity. Thus according to Tanner, theology should be regarded as an activity to critically reflect upon itself in order to make an appropriate systematic understanding in accord to its own social practices. This essay deals with Tanner`s theological views on politics and the relationship between theology and culture, particularly focusing on her theory of Christianity`s self-critical cultures. The essay gives an analysis of Tanner`s three methodological issues in a dialogue with the postmodern cultural theories: the first point is to define theology to be part of culture in which theology takes its position as self-critical reflection on what Christian practices demand along with cultural contexts. What interests here is her distinction from Tracy, Kaufman, and Lindbeck`s methods to affirm theological task as human universal. Instead, Tanner`s method displays that theology functions not for human universal, but remains only in terms of self-critical reflection upon particular Christian practices. This method, hence, legitimates the diversity and creativity of theology, insofar as theology belongs to multi-cultural Christian practices. The second point this essay mainly concerned is Tanner`s creative interpretation of the doctrine of radical transcendence of God. Central to this doctrine is her question if there is a way to avoid idolatrous identification of any political and secular orders with the divine. Giving a sociopolitical critique upon theological traditions such as natural law, God`s mandate of a normative order, or God`s ordination of human institutions, Tanner explicates that the doctrines of radical transcendence of God and God`s universal providential agency can lead us to the potentially self-critical cultures, since along with two doctrines, none of social orders can promulgate its position to be sacrosanct. thirdly, this essays asks what criteria of Christian belief might be in facilitating self-critical culture. Tanner gives an answer to this question in terms of “respect for others and respect for difference.” As a whole, this essay, along with three points, gives a light on a path toward postmodern theological methods upholding the values of diversity and creativity on the basis of the radical transcendence of God and self-critical cultures.
분야
16000500.pdf 
